One thing about Gretzky that will always blow me away is that even if he never scored a single goal in his career, he’d still have the most points in NHL history from assists alone. No one has even came close to him in all these years-it’s astonishing.
Another way I like to put it- Consider the HR record in MLB baseball. In order for someone to break that record by the same margin Gretzky has over the 2nd all time leading scorer in the NHL, they’d have to hit around 1300 home runs.
Connor McDavid is on-pace to have over 100 assists for the first time in his career. The last time someone did it? Wayne Gretzky's 11th consecutive season of over 100 assists.
@@kentmartin9289 He's also the only player in history to have double digit goal totals for even strength, powerplay, shorthanded and game winning goals in a single season.
@@evelk5233 and those 212 points were only good enough for his 3rd highest points per game for a season. 205 points in 74 games and 215 in 80 games both topped his 212 in 80 games.
He sure made it look easy & made everyone around him better. He may not have the flashy highlights or display of skills like a McDavid, but he was so far ahead of everybody else with his hockey IQ that he didn't need to be flashy, though he still had his moments.
He had unparalleled vision. Messi in soccer and Jokic in the NBA are similar, heads always scanning before and after they receive the ball/puck. Gretzky always had plan A through plan Zed on every play.
My favorite Gretzky stat: he's "one half" of the highest scoring pair of brothers in NHL history - 2,861 points. Wayne, with 2,857, and his brother Brent, with 4. The next closest pair are the Sedin twins who tallied 2,111 points - Henrik with 1,070 and Daniel with 1,041. All six Sutter brothers combined scored 2,934 points - 73 more than the Greztky brothers - but it took them 4,994 games versus Wayne's 1,487. Wayne scored more points than any five of the six Sutters combined.
If you add career regular season and playoff points, the Gretzky's outscore the Sutters (and everybody else of course) 3243 for the Gretzkys, and 3211 for the Sutters.
That's like the player who said he'll never forget tonight's game where he and Michael Jordan scored 70 points. Jordan scored 69 of them. You know Brent could've had 0 points in his 13 NHL games and they're still 1st by miles.
I saw Gretzky at the airport in Toronto and everyone there wanted his autograph. No one had a pen or paper for him to sign. He told someone in the crowd to run to a restaurant and ask for a pen and napkins to sign. He waited until they returned and signed autographs for every single person there. This was during the playoffs, I'm sure he had a million other things on his mind but he made time for everyone wanting an autograph.
One thing you’re missing about Gretzky’s abilities is that despite not being very fast or very strong, he WAS athletically exceptional in one way: he had absolutely insane stamina. He frequently scored late in the game when the other players were exhausted and running on fumes. In 1980 a physiologist ran a recuperative test on all of the Oilers, and Gretzky scored so high he thought the machine was broken.
@@georgebaigent8078 Even if you deleted all of Wayne's secondary assists, he would still have the most assists in history by 75. For context, 67.44% of Wayne's career assists were primary assists while Mario had 63.31% primary assists.
He was equally awesome off the ice as an ambassador for the game. I'm a firm believer that he helped grow the league during his career, the man helped bringing hockey to the desert & to many markets without frozen ponds.
@@de132 Yeah, the most heartbreaking trade in NHL history ended up being the best thing for the league. Not sure, & doubt, the same thing happens if he would've went to Vancouver.
Nigel richards is pretty outstanding, possibly gretzky tier. Hes known for memorizing the french scrabble dictionary in 5 weeks, while not speaking french. Whats more outstanding in my mind is his endgame accuracy. At the end of a scrabble game theres no more hidden information, you can know exactly what tiles your opponent has, so it's vastly simpler and computers can calculate the exact best line of play. The top 10 not counting nigel have an endgame best play accuracy from 50-70%. Nigel has an endgame accuracy of 99%. That might seem like it's about twice as good, but looking at it another way it's making 1/30th the errors that the next best player makes.
What people forget is that Gretzky, who used to 'Rocker' his blades, had the shortest turning radius of any player in NHL history... This, in conjunction with his peerless vision, and anticipatory abilities to see plays develop, to know where the puck, the opposition and his team mates would be, before they did, set him head and shoulders above everyone else. People talk about great skaters, and Sergei Fedorov's, who could play both forward and D, name usually gets mentioned. Team CCCP gave a very young Fedorov the job of trying to shadow Gretzky one time, figuring Sergei (kinda like Bob Gainey for team Canada, but in reverse) would be Red Army's secret weapon, only it didn't work out well for the Russians... and that's putting it mildly. I don't remember if it was team Canada vs CCCP, or Red Army vs the Oilers. (The latter most likely)... But Gretzky, the puck carrier, came at Sergei just outside the Russian blue... Then circled back with the puck... then came at him again... dipsy doodling this way and that... until Sergei fell flat on his butt... There came a stoppage in play... and Sergei got up, shrugged his shoulders, and skated toward the Russian bench with an exasperated, hang-dog look, as if to say... Forget it, I can't cover this guy. I quit. Let somebody else play the fool... Don't recall if it was the same game (more likely team Canada vs CCCP)_ ... but Mark Messier caught a Russian, think it was Sergei Makarov with a flying elbow... knocked him silly and cut him up pretty good... Nowadays, that would have been five plus game misconduct... But Messier mighta just got a double minor... One thing I recall clearly, is that Team CCCP wasn't the same after that hit... They wilted and lost (not unlike Red Army vs Flyers/Broad Street Bullies in 76)... Ah yes, 'Those were the days my friends' ...
“had the shortest turning radius of any player in nhl history” Didn’t bother reading anything else you said cuz this alone is total bullshit that you just pulled out of your ass. By the way if you respond to this, just provide a source… that’s literally all you have to do (though it will be tough since you don’t have one). If you respond without a source I’m just gonna take it as an admission that you’re lying
“Has the shortest turning radius of any player in NHL history” Didn’t even bother reading anything else because this alone is total bs that you made up on the spot. If you want to defend yourself, just provide a source (we both know you can’t).
@@chocomilkfps1264 First off, I mentioned a specific detail which helped give Gretzky such an abnormally small turning radius.. Second, I mentioned an incident involving Sergei Fedorov, widely recognized as one of the greatest skaters ever but woefully inept at shadowing Gretzky, lending credence to this... Thirdly, It's called the eye test, Junior... Ergo, if you want to know the source, I"M IT! Great skating, dynamic skating isn't all about speed... Gretzky was a dynamic skater, with yes, an abnormally small turning radius allowing him to turn on a dime, circle back with the puck, and leave defenders clutching at air... Orr was like that too, in a way, but he'd get guys going the wrong way with a subtle shake of the hips... Had you actually watched Orr or Gretzky play in their prime you'd take much of what I'm saying as a given... Admittedly, a lot of what gets written, like saying 'Bobby Hull was the fastest skater ever', or 'Bobby Orr the most dynamic skater ever', is subjective... But again, there's anecdotal evidence lending credence to this... Like the story, attested to by Habs players, about Orr catching Ivan Cournoyer (nicknamed 'The Roadrunner') from behind, again attesting to the fact that Orr was very fast in his own right... I saw Orr play from his Jr days as an Oshawa General on up (I lived in Oshawa, for a time, as a kid and attended Generals' games regularly)... I was also there , in the Hammer, at Copp's Coliseum, when Gretzky passed to Super Mario and he scored to win game 3 of the 1987 Canada Cup 6-5... Gordie Howe and the Detroit Red Wings used to come to the old Hamilton Forum, which they used to call 'The Barn' once a year to play the Junior Wings (their OHA affiliate) in exhibition. Hells bells, my mother's cousin coached the junior Red Wings in 1973... Unlike you Whippersnapper, I actually saw a lot of the all time greats play...
As a hockey fan, I would usually describe Gretzky’s advantage as being that he thought the game much faster than anyone else. Or, as I often put it, “Gretzky knows where the puck is going before the puck does.”
Your post reminded me of something I read in Gretzky's biographical book long ago. I believe he said his dad told him to go where the puck is going not where it currently is. If you made your statement without ever hearing that quote from his dad you are very perceptive, that's exactly what he was trying to do.
This is exactly what my father said about Gretzky too... Not only did he know where the puck would be...he would know where all the other players were...down to the position of their skates and body parts...BEFORE they got there. It was astonishing to watch.
The thing I love most about Wayne Gretzky is that he's average in every way. Like me, he's 5 foot 11. Kinda skinny. Bobby Orr had amazingly powerful legs. Bobby Hull had arms like a body builder's legs. Mario was huge but incredibly agile. Wayne didn't stand out in any way--except between the ears. He loved the game and made it his own.
He made up for his height and relative lack of bulk by having 6'4"+ enforcers on every team he played with. You don't need to be a big guy if you have a bunch of much bigger guys who'll beat the crap out of anyone who dares to touch you. If Gretzky were playing in today's game, he wouldn't come close to the epic numbers he was able to put in back in the day.
@@hux2000 He was the smartest player on the ice. Wayne would figure out a way to be the greatest during any era he found himself playing in. Yes, he benefitted from Dave Semenko and others watching his back. But that cost him too. Cement-hands Semenko wasn't a skilled enough player to pad Gretzky's numbers like a more talented guy would have. The guy was so good they had to change the rules to make things more challenging. He had another famous nickname--Whine Gretzky. Not my favourite part of the package, but we could read his lips. ;-)
@@hux2000 He was also next to impossible to hit (as in body-check). I remember Gary Suter putting him out for months after nailing him head first into the boards.
Also didn't show games. If Lemieux didn't get Hodgkin lymphoma in his prime playing alongside Jagr and Francis, who knows whether he'd outscore Gretzky.
@@reubensandwich9249 lemieux is the best pure scorer to ever play the game. Take away his cancer and back issues, he would beat Gretzky in goals but he wasn’t on the same level as a playmaker (assists).
The difference in NHL point leaders is wild. the gap between 1 and 2 is BIGGER than the gap from 2 to 50 (gap from gretz to jagr is 936, jagr#2 to Vincent Damphousse #50 is 716 points)
People who "don't watch hockey" should give it a shot. You don't know what you're missing! And there are so many new and exciting players. Crazy skills, and never a dull moment.
Elite athletes enter a "zone" where time moves slower. Gretzky was the athlete for whom time moved the slowest. Knowing in advance where all 12 players would be in 5 seconds, making opponents look foolish, and teammates look brilliant.
Stan Lee was a writer, not a cartoonist. All of the characters he's famous for are actually co-creations with a number of artists (though mainly Jack Kirby), or created by other people entirely (Captain America).
most were co-creations. the marvel way of doing comic books was to write some ideas and give a bit guidance to the penciller, and then the writer would only fill in the word ballons after the artists were done.
I met him in an elevator going down to the lobby one morning in Toronto. He was with another player and his son. I believe he was coaching Phoenix Coyotes at the time and they may have been in town to play vs the Maple Leafs. I didn't say a word and enjoyed a quiet moment with a Legend.
As an Australian I was going to mention Don Bradman. I know little about ice hockey but I wager you would probably have to multiply Gretzky by 2 to get a Don Bradman. His test batting average is 99.94. Only 5 other players in history have averaged over 60, with the next best being 62.15. All in an era of limited protective equipment and uncovered pitches. Statistically the greatest athlete of any sport ever.
The two things I felt gave Wayne such and advantage. First, there was no "weak side" when it came to his skating. He was just as comfortable on his weak side as his strong side. Second, his father trained him about the big picture on the rink, and Wayne had an understanding of where the puck, teammates, and opponents, are going to, not just where they are now.
OOF, the video dies on the vine the moment the creator says, “Stan Lee was alright at drawing comics”. If the intro can’t get the lead-in examples right, why endure another second of it?
To truly highlight how absurdly dominate he was, here are some stats: -If Wayne was never credited with a goal, he would STILL be the all-time points leader solely on assists -Wayne Gretzky was the fastest player to score 1000 points in the NHL. The second fastest is….Wayne Gretzky.
I grew up with Wayne in Brantford. He lived right down the road, I lived on Francis and we would all go out and play around. Even then he displayed real skill. He was the best and we knew it, but he was really always a down to earth guy , never bragged even once. We still talk and to this day if you met him and didnt know who he was you would never know he was the great one.
Gretzky showed the power of pure offence in hockey. His ability to score goals, and more importantly, to set up his teammates to score goals, is unmatched. It's like he could generate offence at will. A singular talent.
Was lucky to watch him in person for four seasons as a Ranger. You did a great job summing it up He wasn't exceptional to watch either at the start or end of his career in terms of hot dogging but the guy did everything right. Bobby Orr is a better player but Gretzky made it work like no one else
Watched both play and I'm willing to concede Bobby Orr was better at defense, but that's where I draw the line. Well in addition to that Orr could also control the tempo of play better than anyone too. Gretzky's only real rival for hockey GOAT is Mario Lemieux.
It looks so much better without all the damn ads on the boards...... I wouldn't even mind the digital ones on TV if they would go back to all white in the Arenas.
And for those of us who did watch hockey, and were around back then remember how much fun it was watching Gretzky play. I grew up in Pittsburgh, and it is just so unfortunate that Gretzky and Mario Lemieux very rarely got to play against each other. (We got to see how awesome they were as teammates in the Canada's Cup.) Part of that was the amount of time Lemieux lost due to injuries/illness. The other part was the fact that the Oilers and Pens were in opposite conferences, and for the bulk of Mario's early career, he played on a team that was too pathetic to even hope to face Edmonton in the Stanley Cup Finals. Gretzky and Lemieux were the two best players of all time that weren't named Bobby Orr.
Mario Lemieux would be right there at the top with Gretzky if it wasn't for the cancer. Most people don't realize that Mario was averaged above 2 points per game like Gretzky, but he lost how many of those prime years to cancer. it honestly would be Gretzky, then about 50 points back, Mario, then the 800 points back everyone else.
@@MichFedorchak Mario was too reliant on the power play for his points no matter if he was healthy or not or who his teammates were. If he didn't get a ton of pp, he couldn't hit big numbers.
His hockey IQ was through the roof and in particular, his anticipation of where the puck would be rather than where it was. He also represents a quantum leap in a center setting up in the offensive zone and involving his teammates in scoring opportunities. His goal scoring has more to do with his ability to anticipate than anything else, though his stick handling and skating were enough to create open shots for him.
You would have to get 100 points every season for 28 seasons and you would till be 57 short. You would have to score 50 goals every season for 17 seasons and you would still be 44 short. Ovechkin getting close! Mind blowing...
Here’s some context: #2 All Time in NHL Career Points-Jaromir Jagr-played until he was _46_ years old-he had 1921 points - in 1733 games. Gordie Howe played until he was _51_ - He had 1850 points - 1767 games. Wayne Gretzky would still have the Record for most Points-if he had retired after _830 games_ - when he was _29 years old._
What is most impressive is the way he did this before our growing era of TV timeouts, where coaches use those extra timeouts to boost ice time for star players.
Wayne Gretzky is basically a modern forward playing in an era before goaltending, defense, and forwards had evolved. Basically he was playing like Gretzky before people learned to play like/against Gretzky
It was a great time for sports: - Gretzky in hockey - Tyson in boxing - Jordan in basketball Arguably 3 of the best to ever compete in their respective sports, and all 3 were active at the same time! You could also add Maradonna for soccer, but he was 2nd best behind Pele.
Gretzky is the greatest passer of all time, and no one else has ever come close. In his 20 years, he led the league in assists 16 times. The years he didn't, it was usually because of injury. He has more assists than anyone else has goals + assists combined. And then on top of that, he still has the most goals.
Best ever. Good on you for recognizing the incredible accomplishments of the greatest player in a sport which somehow, still remains overlooked by too many people. If more Americans could find a way to unshackle themselves from the NFL marketing machine and attend a live hockey game, then they’d understand the point of this video, and why he is so revered for his dominance while playing the sport, and for his class as an ambassador for hockey off the ice.
Wayne Gretzky est le GOAT sans aucun doute. Suivi de près par Mario Lemieux. Et Mike Bossy est le #1 buts/match. Wayne Gretzky pouvait tout faire sur la glace, vision périphérique incroyable, sens inné et lecture du jeu unique. Le nombre d’assistances 1,963 est un record inatteignable, comme celui de Henri « the Pocket Rocket » Richard qui a gagné la Coupe Stanley comme joueur 11 fois!
I mean this concept is confusing. Why would someone who doesn’t watch hockey be a good source to tell another person who doesn’t watch hockey why the perceived best player is indeed the best? It stands to reason the concept would lend itself to a less than effective case. Case in point: covert art with Wayne wearing the ole rangers tarp. Wouldn’t it make sense for a Flames fan to make this if you wanted to add an interesting element or a die hard fan’s guide for a casual ?
Having come from brantford and being Wayne’s age and payed a lot of hockey I can tell you he was a great great hockey player. But I will say this. He had a great great mentor. His father was actually the great one.
Fastest 1000 points NHL ALL TIME? 1. Wayne's' first 1000 (424 games) 2. Wayne's second 1000 (433 games) 3. Mario Lemieux (513 games) 4. Mike Bossy (656 games)
Each year, NHL teams conduct individual strength tests for their players. Despite his legendary status, Gretzky was never known for his physical dominance and consistently ranked at the bottom of these tests compared to his teammates and other players in the league. Interestingly enough-his physical ability made him one of the weakest performers across various strength testing metrics.
He was normally at the bottom of those strength tests. There was one test though that made up for it all, the stamina testing. The people testing him thought the machine was broken. It was the one test each year that he was first in.
To all non-hockey fans, before Gretzky came into the NHL, no one played much behind the net, and they never hung out there. But Gretzky did it to avoid being hit by bigger players and it turned out to be a strength. He scored a lot of goals from there as a kid an throughout his career.
It’s kinda wild that guys like Wayne Gretzky, LeBron James, and Jerry Rice are just going to hold their records forever because they came into the NHL, NBA, and NFL and were dominate for 15+ years.
There are 2 factors that makes Wayne Gretzky stand out from the other legends and it has to do with Gretzkys size, and his genius vision on the ice to dodge injury for most of his career. This was a gift most other greats did not have like Bobby Orr, Mike Bossy, Mario Lemiuex, etc with their careers cut short, but Gretzky under normal circumstances should have been tossed around like a tennis ball in the rink, but his visual instinct kept him from major injuries. This in itself sets him apart and most other greats and many others just did not have that prowess. #2, I never thought it was fair to compare players that play an entire 80 games or close to 80 games and players that only play half or more than half a season. Most players including Gretzky slow down and get fatigued usually in the last half of the season and their PPG reduces a bit. i never thought it was fair to compare players that play only 2/3 a season like Lemieux and then get injured their body was not in full fatigue factor like Gretzky was and had Gretzky played the exact same amount of games as Lemieux during a season his PPG total would be significantly higher. The fatigue factor makes a huge difference on points total and Lemieux's career stats took advantage of that.
Wayne Gretzky refused my autograph request. He was on the bench after the pre-game warm up and he was pretending to not hear me. It's ok...he was probably doing the mental thing to get ready for the game and I'm not upset that I didn't get an autograph. I'm just happy that I was within 10 feet of the man. Gretzky the legend.
My 2nd favorite stat(right after taking away all his goals he'd still be points leader) is that hes the fastest to 1000 points at 424 games, he's technically also the 2nd fastest at 434 games from 1000 to 2000 points
I always hated Gretzky growing up as a Flames fan in the '80s and '90s. He was always whining to the refs about something. But even I have to admit that he was the greatest player in any sport of all time. More career assists than anyone in NHL history has ever had career total points (goals + assists).
As someone who is pretty unfamiliar with Hockey, but has interest in many other sports I would be interested in your takes: Is Wayne Gretzki the least disputed Goat of any sport?
If you remove Indian cricket fans from a debate over who is the greatest cricketer, Sir Donald Bradman would be equally regarded as the greatest in his sport.
He played a ton of ice time. He was amazingly athletically gifted but as an endurance athlete, so he could spend a ton of time out on the ice. That's not as flashy as watching Connor McDavid or Sergei Fedorov skate up & down the ice with their jersey's flowing - but he's still athletically a remarkable specimen. Today we'd call that a high aerobic capacity or Zone 1/2 endurance rather than sprinter
Crazy how, on that same list, is Mario Lemieux, who averaged 1.88 PPG; almost as high as Gretzky, but with vastly less points. His “What If” is one of my favorites in sports. He very well could have been right up there in the GOAT conversation, but the fact that we don’t know for sure means that it goes to Gretzky
Gotta give a shoutout to Mario Lemieux. If not for cancer, injuries, and playing just a few years later, his stats would have been just as impressive. He was putting up prime Gretzky-type numbers a decade later when defense in the NHL was a lot stronger and was on pace to match Gretzky's single-season records before he had to take a quarter of the season off to beat cancer (he still won the scoring title). Then, immediately back injuries cost him almost two full years, he comes back and wins two more scoring titles in incredible pain, and then retires at age of 31 for three years. Buys the team to save it from bankruptcy, and plays for a few more years as the only self-employed NHL player in history. Gretzky might have been the greatest hockey player ever, but Lemieux was, by far, the most talented to ever step on the ice.
That's the tough thing about ranking hockey players. There's different eras. You had 'Cyclone' Taylor, Howie Morenz and Eddie Shore. Then you had 'Rocket' Richard and Gordie Howe. Then you had "The Bobbys', Hull and Orr, and in the 1980's you had Gretzky and Lemieux, and so forth. And I'm missing many other great NHL stars in this comment due to brevity.
If you ever see some old footage of Wayne wearing and old sweater with a N on it back when he was 10 he was wearing number 9. We also had some great men of sports dinners in brantford and that’s where Wayne first met Mr Howe and it was that year or the one after. That was year while playing for Nadrofsky Steelers he scored all those goals playing one age group above his age. His father never uttered a bad word about anyone. Gave and gave and gave to the community of brantford Ontario. Even after his close call with a blood clot. There he was out coaching a bantam team with a helmet on. Couldn’t speak yet. The man was beauty. I mean anyone in the world could walk up knock on his door and tour his basement full of moments photos jerseys you name of Wayne’s career. Brantford sure is missing him these days
Stan Lee didn't really draw. He wrote comic books and is famous for co-creating a number of famous superheroes. That being said, the reason we're so familiar with him is that he was a big advocate and promoter of comic books as a medium. You can think of him as a mascot of for superhero comics.
Bobby Orr, was the best! Gretzky was a protected player!! Not to mention he had Messier, Kurri, Lowe, Anderson etc all on the same team helping him!! Not to take away from his talent, but if Bobby was protected, he wouldn't have gotten hurt so early. Bobby Orr all the way
In 70-71, didn't Boston have the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 7th, 8th and 11th top scorers in the league? Guess we conveniently leave that part out? But yes, Gretzky did have Lowe on his team.
Mario was likely better but unfortunately was plagued by injury. I think Wayne needs to be contextualized by Kurri, Lowe, Fuhr, Coffey, Messier, Anderson, etc. That team was the best at every position x2. No slight on Wayne. After he moved to LA, then the production tapered. He was not the best player through the 90s but kept pace as a top 5ish player each year. The 200 pt. seasons were insane.
hey great vid’ about the gr8 one but there is a small mistake in the table and the calc at 0:47 the 2nd one in points is Jagr, the tab is sort by assists and not points. the calc is unfo wrong either. with your numbers it must be -37% not -33%. but the -33% are correct when you do the division with Jagrs points 1921. other than that gr8 work. thx for making the clip
0:17 no he was great at everything. That’s what made the great one, the great one. Shoot, pass, move to open ice, read the play, zone, homie had it all
If you're into sports statistics check out Don Bradman's batting average compared to everyone else that's ever played test cricket. A great player of a generation would be around 50. The second greatest batsman ever averaged around 60. Bradman was 99.94.
Someone must have commented this already but if you take away all of Gretzky's career goals, he'd still be the NHL's all time leading scorer with his 1963 assists being 42 points ahead of Jagr's goal and assist total of 1921. This is the most impressive stat in my opinion. He still leads the NHL in goals all time as well even though he wasn't even a pure goal scorer. The greatest playmaker ever just happens to have the most goals too. It requires the most exceptional pure goal scorer in NHL history (Ovechkin) to have an almost flawless career of scoring roughly 50 goals a year for over 20 years to come even close to Gretzky. He might actually surpass it (which I personally hope he won't) but all these things sum up why Wayne is the best. There is only one player in NHL history who can compete with and probably is as good as Wayne and his name is Mario Lemieux. No one else.
One thing about Gretzky that will always blow me away is that even if he never scored a single goal in his career, he’d still have the most points in NHL history from assists alone. No one has even came close to him in all these years-it’s astonishing.
Another way I like to put it-
Consider the HR record in MLB baseball. In order for someone to break that record by the same margin Gretzky has over the 2nd all time leading scorer in the NHL, they’d have to hit around 1300 home runs.
Connor McDavid is on-pace to have over 100 assists for the first time in his career. The last time someone did it? Wayne Gretzky's 11th consecutive season of over 100 assists.
@@suburbanindieYup. There's only been 3 players to record 100 assists. Lemieux did it once, Bobby Orr did it once, and Gretzky did it 11 times 😂
@@nateo7045 IN A ROW
@@nateo7045 Greatest playmaker in ANY sport
In 85-86 the Oilers led the league in scoring, Calgary was second. Wayne outscored Calgary's top three scorers combined by 4 points.
I have a hobby of tracking down amazing Gretzky facts and stats. That is one I have never heard! Amazing!
@@kentmartin9289 He's also the only player in history to have double digit goal totals for even strength, powerplay, shorthanded and game winning goals in a single season.
@@dannycarlow8204 I hadn't heard that one either. Looks like that was 1983-84. Thanks!
212 points in one year. insane
@@evelk5233 and those 212 points were only good enough for his 3rd highest points per game for a season. 205 points in 74 games and 215 in 80 games both topped his 212 in 80 games.
What set Gretzky apart was his unparalleled vision of the ice. His observation, perception and forecasting skills were out of this world.
yes. they admitted they didnt watch hockey, so they wouldnt know.
He sure made it look easy & made everyone around him better. He may not have the flashy highlights or display of skills like a McDavid, but he was so far ahead of everybody else with his hockey IQ that he didn't need to be flashy, though he still had his moments.
Gretzky couldn't carry Bobby Orr's jock!
@@karlschneider9479Someone's still sore about the 88 and 90 finals, I see.
He had unparalleled vision. Messi in soccer and Jokic in the NBA are similar, heads always scanning before and after they receive the ball/puck. Gretzky always had plan A through plan Zed on every play.
My favorite Gretzky stat: he's "one half" of the highest scoring pair of brothers in NHL history - 2,861 points. Wayne, with 2,857, and his brother Brent, with 4.
The next closest pair are the Sedin twins who tallied 2,111 points - Henrik with 1,070 and Daniel with 1,041.
All six Sutter brothers combined scored 2,934 points - 73 more than the Greztky brothers - but it took them 4,994 games versus Wayne's 1,487. Wayne scored more points than any five of the six Sutters combined.
Absolutely insane
Like any Gretzky stat , mind = blown.
This might be my favourite Gretz-stat yet.
If you add career regular season and playoff points, the Gretzky's outscore the Sutters (and everybody else of course) 3243 for the Gretzkys, and 3211 for the Sutters.
That's like the player who said he'll never forget tonight's game where he and Michael Jordan scored 70 points.
Jordan scored 69 of them. You know Brent could've had 0 points in his 13 NHL games and they're still 1st by miles.
I saw Gretzky at the airport in Toronto and everyone there wanted his autograph. No one had a pen or paper for him to sign. He told someone in the crowd to run to a restaurant and ask for a pen and napkins to sign. He waited until they returned and signed autographs for every single person there. This was during the playoffs, I'm sure he had a million other things on his mind but he made time for everyone wanting an autograph.
One thing you’re missing about Gretzky’s abilities is that despite not being very fast or very strong, he WAS athletically exceptional in one way: he had absolutely insane stamina. He frequently scored late in the game when the other players were exhausted and running on fumes. In 1980 a physiologist ran a recuperative test on all of the Oilers, and Gretzky scored so high he thought the machine was broken.
He has so many assists, he’d still be the all time points leader without even scoring one goal.
And done at a time without scoring the second assist.
@@magnustheman524secondary assists are counted since the 40s
@@magnustheman524
And there are videos on RUclips that show Gretzky getting assists on goals he wasn’t even on the ice for.
@@georgebaigent8078 Even if you deleted all of Wayne's secondary assists, he would still have the most assists in history by 75. For context, 67.44% of Wayne's career assists were primary assists while Mario had 63.31% primary assists.
He was equally awesome off the ice as an ambassador for the game. I'm a firm believer that he helped grow the league during his career, the man helped bringing hockey to the desert & to many markets without frozen ponds.
Exactly, the Sharks, Ducks, Coyotes, Stars, Panthers, and Lightning owe Gretzky. Especially with Gretzky's time with the Los Angeles Kings
@@de132 Yeah, the most heartbreaking trade in NHL history ended up being the best thing for the league. Not sure, & doubt, the same thing happens if he would've went to Vancouver.
Killed it in Canada for places that don't deserve hockey.
Your thumbnail showing him in a Rags uniform and not an Oilers uniform is a major fail.
Nah, that pic is iconic
No. He's in the right jersey.
Showing a clip of him on garbage late night TV is a bigger fail.
You are correct.......
He should have used the Stl Blues away jersey
Lol
JK
That thing is an abomination
Right!
And, he seems like the kindest, humble person.
He only married Janet Jones because they were the same dress size😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
@@rayxtwo😂 you’re wrong for that one
Yes--off the ice, he is/was. ON the ice...very competitive. No one ever out-competed Wayne Gretzky.
Nigel richards is pretty outstanding, possibly gretzky tier. Hes known for memorizing the french scrabble dictionary in 5 weeks, while not speaking french. Whats more outstanding in my mind is his endgame accuracy. At the end of a scrabble game theres no more hidden information, you can know exactly what tiles your opponent has, so it's vastly simpler and computers can calculate the exact best line of play. The top 10 not counting nigel have an endgame best play accuracy from 50-70%. Nigel has an endgame accuracy of 99%. That might seem like it's about twice as good, but looking at it another way it's making 1/30th the errors that the next best player makes.
👍
Yeah, but could Nigel do it on ice? That's the big question.
Yeah, Nigel and Wayne are on another level
Nigel sounds like the perfect name for the greatest scrabble player of all time. lol
That’s pretty damn good.
What people forget is that Gretzky, who used to 'Rocker' his blades, had the shortest turning radius of any player in NHL history... This, in conjunction with his peerless vision, and anticipatory abilities to see plays develop, to know where the puck, the opposition and his team mates would be, before they did, set him head and shoulders above everyone else.
People talk about great skaters, and Sergei Fedorov's, who could play both forward and D, name usually gets mentioned. Team CCCP gave a very young Fedorov the job of trying to shadow Gretzky one time, figuring Sergei (kinda like Bob Gainey for team Canada, but in reverse) would be Red Army's secret weapon, only it didn't work out well for the Russians... and that's putting it mildly.
I don't remember if it was team Canada vs CCCP, or Red Army vs the Oilers. (The latter most likely)... But Gretzky, the puck carrier, came at Sergei just outside the Russian blue... Then circled back with the puck... then came at him again... dipsy doodling this way and that... until Sergei fell flat on his butt... There came a stoppage in play... and Sergei got up, shrugged his shoulders, and skated toward the Russian bench with an exasperated, hang-dog look, as if to say... Forget it, I can't cover this guy. I quit. Let somebody else play the fool...
Don't recall if it was the same game (more likely team Canada vs CCCP)_ ... but Mark Messier caught a Russian, think it was Sergei Makarov with a flying elbow... knocked him silly and cut him up pretty good... Nowadays, that would have been five plus game misconduct... But Messier mighta just got a double minor... One thing I recall clearly, is that Team CCCP wasn't the same after that hit... They wilted and lost (not unlike Red Army vs Flyers/Broad Street Bullies in 76)...
Ah yes, 'Those were the days my friends' ...
You have an awesome focus on early 80s hockey!!! Cheers my friend
agreed, cool to hear this info from someone who was there
“had the shortest turning radius of any player in nhl history”
Didn’t bother reading anything else you said cuz this alone is total bullshit that you just pulled out of your ass.
By the way if you respond to this, just provide a source… that’s literally all you have to do (though it will be tough since you don’t have one). If you respond without a source I’m just gonna take it as an admission that you’re lying
“Has the shortest turning radius of any player in NHL history”
Didn’t even bother reading anything else because this alone is total bs that you made up on the spot.
If you want to defend yourself, just provide a source (we both know you can’t).
@@chocomilkfps1264 First off, I mentioned a specific detail which helped give Gretzky such an abnormally small turning radius.. Second, I mentioned an incident involving Sergei Fedorov, widely recognized as one of the greatest skaters ever but woefully inept at shadowing Gretzky, lending credence to this... Thirdly, It's called the eye test, Junior... Ergo, if you want to know the source, I"M IT!
Great skating, dynamic skating isn't all about speed... Gretzky was a dynamic skater, with yes, an abnormally small turning radius allowing him to turn on a dime, circle back with the puck, and leave defenders clutching at air... Orr was like that too, in a way, but he'd get guys going the wrong way with a subtle shake of the hips... Had you actually watched Orr or Gretzky play in their prime you'd take much of what I'm saying as a given...
Admittedly, a lot of what gets written, like saying 'Bobby Hull was the fastest skater ever', or 'Bobby Orr the most dynamic skater ever', is subjective... But again, there's anecdotal evidence lending credence to this... Like the story, attested to by Habs players, about Orr catching Ivan Cournoyer (nicknamed 'The Roadrunner') from behind, again attesting to the fact that Orr was very fast in his own right...
I saw Orr play from his Jr days as an Oshawa General on up (I lived in Oshawa, for a time, as a kid and attended Generals' games regularly)... I was also there , in the Hammer, at Copp's Coliseum, when Gretzky passed to Super Mario and he scored to win game 3 of the 1987 Canada Cup 6-5...
Gordie Howe and the Detroit Red Wings used to come to the old Hamilton Forum, which they used to call 'The Barn' once a year to play the Junior Wings (their OHA affiliate) in exhibition. Hells bells, my mother's cousin coached the junior Red Wings in 1973...
Unlike you Whippersnapper, I actually saw a lot of the all time greats play...
As a hockey fan, I would usually describe Gretzky’s advantage as being that he thought the game much faster than anyone else.
Or, as I often put it, “Gretzky knows where the puck is going before the puck does.”
Your post reminded me of something I read in Gretzky's biographical book long ago.
I believe he said his dad told him to go where the puck is going not where it currently is. If you made your statement without ever hearing that quote from his dad you are very perceptive, that's exactly what he was trying to do.
This is exactly what my father said about Gretzky too...
Not only did he know where the puck would be...he would know where all the other players were...down to the position of their skates and body parts...BEFORE they got there.
It was astonishing to watch.
The puck don't have no say.
This thought-filled pick is a confusing thing.
The puck knows where it is by knowing where it isn't
The thing I love most about Wayne Gretzky is that he's average in every way. Like me, he's 5 foot 11. Kinda skinny. Bobby Orr had amazingly powerful legs. Bobby Hull had arms like a body builder's legs. Mario was huge but incredibly agile. Wayne didn't stand out in any way--except between the ears. He loved the game and made it his own.
He made up for his height and relative lack of bulk by having 6'4"+ enforcers on every team he played with. You don't need to be a big guy if you have a bunch of much bigger guys who'll beat the crap out of anyone who dares to touch you. If Gretzky were playing in today's game, he wouldn't come close to the epic numbers he was able to put in back in the day.
perhaps those ears were the sonar that led him to such on-ice awareness resulting in such numbers
@@hux2000 He was the smartest player on the ice. Wayne would figure out a way to be the greatest during any era he found himself playing in.
Yes, he benefitted from Dave Semenko and others watching his back. But that cost him too. Cement-hands Semenko wasn't a skilled enough player to pad Gretzky's numbers like a more talented guy would have.
The guy was so good they had to change the rules to make things more challenging.
He had another famous nickname--Whine Gretzky. Not my favourite part of the package, but we could read his lips. ;-)
@@Raraoolala 😆😆😆🏒🏒🏒👃👃👃(nose too)
@@hux2000 He was also next to impossible to hit (as in body-check). I remember Gary Suter putting him out for months after nailing him head first into the boards.
Also, the list you showed Is not in order. Jagr is 2nd in career points
Also didn't show games. If Lemieux didn't get Hodgkin lymphoma in his prime playing alongside Jagr and Francis, who knows whether he'd outscore Gretzky.
@@reubensandwich9249 to finish first, first you have to finish
@@reubensandwich9249 lemieux is the best pure scorer to ever play the game. Take away his cancer and back issues, he would beat Gretzky in goals but he wasn’t on the same level as a playmaker (assists).
@@reubensandwich9249 this and if Jagr didn't play in the KHL for three seasons are one of my biggest NHL what ifs
The difference in NHL point leaders is wild. the gap between 1 and 2 is BIGGER than the gap from 2 to 50 (gap from gretz to jagr is 936, jagr#2 to Vincent Damphousse #50 is 716 points)
The gap from #2 Jagr to #103 Dave Keon is 935 points. Keon will be #104 in the first or second week of next season when McDavid overtakes him.
People who "don't watch hockey" should give it a shot. You don't know what you're missing! And there are so many new and exciting players. Crazy skills, and never a dull moment.
I has ice skate. Need to find other one. It really fun.
Elite athletes enter a "zone" where time moves slower.
Gretzky was the athlete for whom time moved the slowest.
Knowing in advance where all 12 players would be in 5 seconds,
making opponents look foolish, and teammates look brilliant.
Stan Lee was a writer, not a cartoonist. All of the characters he's famous for are actually co-creations with a number of artists (though mainly Jack Kirby), or created by other people entirely (Captain America).
most were co-creations. the marvel way of doing comic books was to write some ideas and give a bit guidance to the penciller, and then the writer would only fill in the word ballons after the artists were done.
Kind of like an assist to co-create, which Gretz did often as well...
Not only was Wayne great at hockey it seems like Walter his father taught Wayne how to be great at life
Stan Lee didn't draw the comics. Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, and others were the artists. Stan provided the dialogue and some of the story direction.
I met him in an elevator going down to the lobby one morning in Toronto. He was with another player and his son. I believe he was coaching Phoenix Coyotes at the time and they may have been in town to play vs the Maple Leafs. I didn't say a word and enjoyed a quiet moment with a Legend.
Gretsky and Don Bradman are lightyears ahead of their nearest competitors in their respective sports.
As an Australian I was going to mention Don Bradman. I know little about ice hockey but I wager you would probably have to multiply Gretzky by 2 to get a Don Bradman. His test batting average is 99.94. Only 5 other players in history have averaged over 60, with the next best being 62.15. All in an era of limited protective equipment and uncovered pitches. Statistically the greatest athlete of any sport ever.
@@ozytradbowhunter sports with tiny talent pools had outliers like that a century ago
The two things I felt gave Wayne such and advantage. First, there was no "weak side" when it came to his skating. He was just as comfortable on his weak side as his strong side. Second, his father trained him about the big picture on the rink, and Wayne had an understanding of where the puck, teammates, and opponents, are going to, not just where they are now.
OOF, the video dies on the vine the moment the creator says, “Stan Lee was alright at drawing comics”. If the intro can’t get the lead-in examples right, why endure another second of it?
Stan Lee hardly even wrote comics haha 😂
A lot of Stan Lee's fame and success is from Jack Kirby
All the assists and goals are just from the regular season. With playoff games included he is well over 3k points and 1k goals, amazing
To truly highlight how absurdly dominate he was, here are some stats:
-If Wayne was never credited with a goal, he would STILL be the all-time points leader solely on assists
-Wayne Gretzky was the fastest player to score 1000 points in the NHL. The second fastest is….Wayne Gretzky.
Came here to say this. This is by far the most incredible statistic maybe in all of sports. Surprised he didn’t mention it
I grew up with Wayne in Brantford. He lived right down the road, I lived on Francis and we would all go out and play around. Even then he displayed real skill. He was the best and we knew it, but he was really always a down to earth guy , never bragged even once.
We still talk and to this day if you met him and didnt know who he was you would never know he was the great one.
Gretzky showed the power of pure offence in hockey. His ability to score goals, and more importantly, to set up his teammates to score goals, is unmatched. It's like he could generate offence at will. A singular talent.
Was lucky to watch him in person for four seasons as a Ranger. You did a great job summing it up
He wasn't exceptional to watch either at the start or end of his career in terms of hot dogging but the guy did everything right. Bobby Orr is a better player but Gretzky made it work like no one else
Watched both play and I'm willing to concede Bobby Orr was better at defense, but that's where I draw the line. Well in addition to that Orr could also control the tempo of play better than anyone too. Gretzky's only real rival for hockey GOAT is Mario Lemieux.
He elevated the play of everyone around him. Great vision for how a play could develop. Will never be another like him.
None more so than Jari Kurri, whose chemistry with Gretz was from another world
It looks so much better without all the damn ads on the boards...... I wouldn't even mind the digital ones on TV if they would go back to all white in the Arenas.
Greatest sporting IQ of all time ...unbelievable.
is Lionel Messi
And for those of us who did watch hockey, and were around back then remember how much fun it was watching Gretzky play. I grew up in Pittsburgh, and it is just so unfortunate that Gretzky and Mario Lemieux very rarely got to play against each other. (We got to see how awesome they were as teammates in the Canada's Cup.) Part of that was the amount of time Lemieux lost due to injuries/illness. The other part was the fact that the Oilers and Pens were in opposite conferences, and for the bulk of Mario's early career, he played on a team that was too pathetic to even hope to face Edmonton in the Stanley Cup Finals.
Gretzky and Lemieux were the two best players of all time that weren't named Bobby Orr.
Mario Lemieux would be right there at the top with Gretzky if it wasn't for the cancer. Most people don't realize that Mario was averaged above 2 points per game like Gretzky, but he lost how many of those prime years to cancer. it honestly would be Gretzky, then about 50 points back, Mario, then the 800 points back everyone else.
@@MichFedorchak Mario was too reliant on the power play for his points no matter if he was healthy or not or who his teammates were. If he didn't get a ton of pp, he couldn't hit big numbers.
His hockey IQ was through the roof and in particular, his anticipation of where the puck would be rather than where it was. He also represents a quantum leap in a center setting up in the offensive zone and involving his teammates in scoring opportunities. His goal scoring has more to do with his ability to anticipate than anything else, though his stick handling and skating were enough to create open shots for him.
You would have to get 100 points every season for 28 seasons and you would till be 57 short.
You would have to score 50 goals every season for 17 seasons and you would still be 44 short. Ovechkin getting close!
Mind blowing...
How many cups did he win without McSorely, or Messier?
Here’s some context:
#2 All Time in NHL Career Points-Jaromir Jagr-played until he was _46_ years old-he had 1921 points - in 1733 games.
Gordie Howe played until he was _51_ - He had 1850 points - 1767 games.
Wayne Gretzky would still have the Record for most Points-if he had retired after _830 games_ - when he was _29 years old._
What is most impressive is the way he did this before our growing era of TV timeouts, where coaches use those extra timeouts to boost ice time for star players.
Stan Lee wrote comic books. He didn’t draw them.
Wayne Gretzky is basically a modern forward playing in an era before goaltending, defense, and forwards had evolved.
Basically he was playing like Gretzky before people learned to play like/against Gretzky
Gretzky completely changed the sport on ice and off - his impact was enormous. This is why he is the greatest sports person ever.
Wayne was a playmaker. Simply the greatest ever. He not only scored, but he made his teammates better.
I feel if Lemieux started his career the same time as Gretzky and didn't get sick, they would be very close.
It was awesome being a kid in the 80s, watching Gretzky tear up the ice!
It was a great time for sports:
- Gretzky in hockey
- Tyson in boxing
- Jordan in basketball
Arguably 3 of the best to ever compete in their respective sports, and all 3 were active at the same time! You could also add Maradonna for soccer, but he was 2nd best behind Pele.
Gretzky is the greatest passer of all time, and no one else has ever come close. In his 20 years, he led the league in assists 16 times. The years he didn't, it was usually because of injury. He has more assists than anyone else has goals + assists combined. And then on top of that, he still has the most goals.
Best ever. Good on you for recognizing the incredible accomplishments of the greatest player in a sport which somehow, still remains overlooked by too many people. If more Americans could find a way to unshackle themselves from the NFL marketing machine and attend a live hockey game, then they’d understand the point of this video, and why he is so revered for his dominance while playing the sport, and for his class as an ambassador for hockey off the ice.
The record for most records is insane.
Wayne Gretzky est le GOAT sans aucun doute. Suivi de près par Mario Lemieux. Et Mike Bossy est le #1 buts/match. Wayne Gretzky pouvait tout faire sur la glace, vision périphérique incroyable, sens inné et lecture du jeu unique. Le nombre d’assistances 1,963 est un record inatteignable, comme celui de Henri « the Pocket Rocket » Richard qui a gagné la Coupe Stanley comme joueur 11 fois!
The better star players makes those around them better. Not just themselves.
Gretzky and Don Bradman are the two biggest outliers in sports. The two of them are so far beyond everyone else it's not fair.
I mean this concept is confusing. Why would someone who doesn’t watch hockey be a good source to tell another person who doesn’t watch hockey why the perceived best player is indeed the best? It stands to reason the concept would lend itself to a less than effective case.
Case in point: covert art with Wayne wearing the ole rangers tarp.
Wouldn’t it make sense for a Flames fan to make this if you wanted to add an interesting element or a die hard fan’s guide for a casual ?
Having come from brantford and being Wayne’s age and payed a lot of hockey I can tell you he was a great great hockey player. But I will say this. He had a great great mentor. His father was actually the great one.
he also got a chance to play with gordie howe in the wha. I'll bet he learned a thing or two in that season.
Very true.
great video. - FYI your chart of all-time points leaders isn't sorted properly. Jaromir jagr is 2nd with 1921 pts.
Fastest 1000 points NHL ALL TIME?
1. Wayne's' first 1000 (424 games)
2. Wayne's second 1000 (433 games)
3. Mario Lemieux (513 games)
4. Mike Bossy (656 games)
This is nuts. Prime Lemieux was dominant, but The Great One is... well he's The Great One
Each year, NHL teams conduct individual strength tests for their players. Despite his legendary status, Gretzky was never known for his physical dominance and consistently ranked at the bottom of these tests compared to his teammates and other players in the league. Interestingly enough-his physical ability made him one of the weakest performers across various strength testing metrics.
He was normally at the bottom of those strength tests. There was one test though that made up for it all, the stamina testing. The people testing him thought the machine was broken. It was the one test each year that he was first in.
@@dannycarlow8204 yes absolutely 💯% true! Thanks for pointing that out.
@@dannycarlow8204 that's so awesome. What a dood.
He just makes the game look so easy it’s crazy
To all non-hockey fans, before Gretzky came into the NHL, no one played much behind the net, and they never hung out there. But Gretzky did it to avoid being hit by bigger players and it turned out to be a strength. He scored a lot of goals from there as a kid an throughout his career.
The uncredited music is Chopin's "Winter Wind" etude, Op. 25 No. 11.
It’s kinda wild that guys like Wayne Gretzky, LeBron James, and Jerry Rice are just going to hold their records forever because they came into the NHL, NBA, and NFL and were dominate for 15+ years.
There are 2 factors that makes Wayne Gretzky stand out from the other legends and it has to do with Gretzkys size, and his genius vision on the ice to dodge injury for most of his career. This was a gift most other greats did not have like Bobby Orr, Mike Bossy, Mario Lemiuex, etc with their careers cut short, but Gretzky under normal circumstances should have been tossed around like a tennis ball in the rink, but his visual instinct kept him from major injuries. This in itself sets him apart and most other greats and many others just did not have that prowess. #2, I never thought it was fair to compare players that play an entire 80 games or close to 80 games and players that only play half or more than half a season. Most players including Gretzky slow down and get fatigued usually in the last half of the season and their PPG reduces a bit. i never thought it was fair to compare players that play only 2/3 a season like Lemieux and then get injured their body was not in full fatigue factor like Gretzky was and had Gretzky played the exact same amount of games as Lemieux during a season his PPG total would be significantly higher. The fatigue factor makes a huge difference on points total and Lemieux's career stats took advantage of that.
Any chance you can share (or someone recognizes) the piano piece played in the background? Thanks!
He retired from an original 6 team. Came to NYR to play with Messier. True show of his commitment to the game and his friends.
Don Bradman the cricketer statistically a better batter than Gretzky was an ice hockey player?
Yes
Wayne Gretzky refused my autograph request. He was on the bench after the pre-game warm up and he was pretending to not hear me.
It's ok...he was probably doing the mental thing to get ready for the game and I'm not upset that I didn't get an autograph. I'm just happy that I was within 10 feet of the man. Gretzky the legend.
A great video essay under 5mins? Great job!
I like how he’s the oilers all time leading scorer with something like 1650 points (good for top 10 or so all time) in less than half his whole career
My 2nd favorite stat(right after taking away all his goals he'd still be points leader) is that hes the fastest to 1000 points at 424 games, he's technically also the 2nd fastest at 434 games from 1000 to 2000 points
Stan Lee didn't draw the characters. He was a writer.
Jordan said Gretzky stats looked like typos
Your points list is wrong. Jaromir jagr is second with 1921 points. He's on the list too but you didn't see him 😮
it appears that that list was assists instead of points.
I always hated Gretzky growing up as a Flames fan in the '80s and '90s. He was always whining to the refs about something. But even I have to admit that he was the greatest player in any sport of all time.
More career assists than anyone in NHL history has ever had career total points (goals + assists).
He is the great one!
Pure and simple!
As someone who is pretty unfamiliar with Hockey, but has interest in many other sports I would be interested in your takes: Is Wayne Gretzki the least disputed Goat of any sport?
If you remove Indian cricket fans from a debate over who is the greatest cricketer, Sir Donald Bradman would be equally regarded as the greatest in his sport.
Gretsky is the Einstein of hockey. They are so far above everyone else that everything that comes after them builds off of their work.
Will you do an uodate when Ovechkin overtakes him?
He played a ton of ice time. He was amazingly athletically gifted but as an endurance athlete, so he could spend a ton of time out on the ice. That's not as flashy as watching Connor McDavid or Sergei Fedorov skate up & down the ice with their jersey's flowing - but he's still athletically a remarkable specimen. Today we'd call that a high aerobic capacity or Zone 1/2 endurance rather than sprinter
He could play any sport--an all-round athlete. I'm so glad he chose hockey!
Crazy how, on that same list, is Mario Lemieux, who averaged 1.88 PPG; almost as high as Gretzky, but with vastly less points. His “What If” is one of my favorites in sports. He very well could have been right up there in the GOAT conversation, but the fact that we don’t know for sure means that it goes to Gretzky
Great vid dude!! Very well done. Keep going!
thank you. as a european, i needed this.
Gotta give a shoutout to Mario Lemieux. If not for cancer, injuries, and playing just a few years later, his stats would have been just as impressive. He was putting up prime Gretzky-type numbers a decade later when defense in the NHL was a lot stronger and was on pace to match Gretzky's single-season records before he had to take a quarter of the season off to beat cancer (he still won the scoring title). Then, immediately back injuries cost him almost two full years, he comes back and wins two more scoring titles in incredible pain, and then retires at age of 31 for three years. Buys the team to save it from bankruptcy, and plays for a few more years as the only self-employed NHL player in history.
Gretzky might have been the greatest hockey player ever, but Lemieux was, by far, the most talented to ever step on the ice.
That's the tough thing about ranking hockey players. There's different eras. You had 'Cyclone' Taylor, Howie Morenz and Eddie Shore. Then you had 'Rocket' Richard and Gordie Howe. Then you had "The Bobbys', Hull and Orr, and in the 1980's you had Gretzky and Lemieux, and so forth. And I'm missing many other great NHL stars in this comment due to brevity.
Stan Lee didn't draw comic books
If you ever see some old footage of Wayne wearing and old sweater with a N on it back when he was 10 he was wearing number 9. We also had some great men of sports dinners in brantford and that’s where Wayne first met Mr Howe and it was that year or the one after. That was year while playing for Nadrofsky Steelers he scored all those goals playing one age group above his age.
His father never uttered a bad word about anyone. Gave and gave and gave to the community of brantford Ontario. Even after his close call with a blood clot. There he was out coaching a bantam team with a helmet on. Couldn’t speak yet. The man was beauty. I mean anyone in the world could walk up knock on his door and tour his basement full of moments photos jerseys you name of Wayne’s career. Brantford sure is missing him these days
Stan Lee didn't really draw. He wrote comic books and is famous for co-creating a number of famous superheroes. That being said, the reason we're so familiar with him is that he was a big advocate and promoter of comic books as a medium. You can think of him as a mascot of for superhero comics.
"You miss all the shots you don't take - Wayne Gretzky."
In 1981/82, Gretzky had 23 games in the regular season in which he scored 4 or more points!
I liked so many great comments here, thanks folks.
Bobby Orr, was the best! Gretzky was a protected player!! Not to mention he had Messier, Kurri, Lowe, Anderson etc all on the same team helping him!! Not to take away from his talent, but if Bobby was protected, he wouldn't have gotten hurt so early. Bobby Orr all the way
Plus Paul Coffee, who i think may still lead all defenseman in points.
In 70-71, didn't Boston have the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 7th, 8th and 11th top scorers in the league? Guess we conveniently leave that part out? But yes, Gretzky did have Lowe on his team.
Mario was likely better but unfortunately was plagued by injury. I think Wayne needs to be contextualized by Kurri, Lowe, Fuhr, Coffey, Messier, Anderson, etc. That team was the best at every position x2. No slight on Wayne. After he moved to LA, then the production tapered. He was not the best player through the 90s but kept pace as a top 5ish player each year. The 200 pt. seasons were insane.
There are debates in Baseball, Football, and Basketball. But not in Hockey. He is The Great One.
Remember when Gretz was playing minor hockey in the MTHL in the early 70s ... scoring so many times on a shift coaches had to sit him!
hey great vid’ about the gr8 one but there is a small mistake in the table and the calc at 0:47 the 2nd one in points is Jagr, the tab is sort by assists and not points. the calc is unfo wrong either. with your numbers it must be -37% not -33%. but the -33% are correct when you do the division with Jagrs points 1921. other than that gr8 work. thx for making the clip
0:17 no he was great at everything. That’s what made the great one, the great one. Shoot, pass, move to open ice, read the play, zone, homie had it all
If you're into sports statistics check out Don Bradman's batting average compared to everyone else that's ever played test cricket. A great player of a generation would be around 50. The second greatest batsman ever averaged around 60. Bradman was 99.94.
0:46 The second most points is 1921 by Jagr, not 1798 by Ron Francis
Jagr - 1921 points isn't that 2nd best? love your height comparison.. data relativity !!! nice video 😎😎
Someone must have commented this already but if you take away all of Gretzky's career goals, he'd still be the NHL's all time leading scorer with his 1963 assists being 42 points ahead of Jagr's goal and assist total of 1921. This is the most impressive stat in my opinion.
He still leads the NHL in goals all time as well even though he wasn't even a pure goal scorer. The greatest playmaker ever just happens to have the most goals too. It requires the most exceptional pure goal scorer in NHL history (Ovechkin) to have an almost flawless career of scoring roughly 50 goals a year for over 20 years to come even close to Gretzky. He might actually surpass it (which I personally hope he won't) but all these things sum up why Wayne is the best. There is only one player in NHL history who can compete with and probably is as good as Wayne and his name is Mario Lemieux. No one else.
Wait til you see what Don Bradman did in test cricket
Best sporstmen ever
Was literally coming to say the same thing. Most likely the best sportsperson ever.
The Great One is the most badass name for your sports GOAT
The Oilers of the 80's were the last hockey dynasty. They could be three or four goals behind with ten minutes left in the third and still win.